PCEC ready for election May 20The Pope County Election Commission met Wednesday at the Pope County Election Headquarters in preparation for the May 20 election. Commissioner Portia Short affirmed the resources needed for the May 20 election would be available. "A lot of people don't realize the amount of work that has to be done after the election," Short said. Though an unofficial tally will be posted 30 minutes after the polls close on May 20, the election results cannot...

RSD celebrates Teacher Appreciation WeekThe Russellville School District celebrated Teacher Appreciation Week Monday through Friday. Teacher Appreciation Week is organized nationwide to thank teachers for their service to schools. At Russellville High School, five door prizes were given away each day, which were provided by the Academic Booster Club and Renaissance Leadership Group. ABC sponsored a salsa bar on Monday, the administrators sponsored a pancake breakfast on Tuesday and ...

Summer Art CampA Multimedia Summer Art Camp will be conducted at the River Valley Arts Center for kids kindergarten through fifth grade and will feature different art styles and mediums taught by Tonya Rhodes and pottery by Winston Taylor. The camps will take place June 9-13, July 14-18 and Aug. 4-8 from 9 a.m. to noon each day. A camp T-shirt, daily snacks, certificates and supplies are furnished for all camps. Call (479) 968-2452 to sign up.

News Briefs (May 9, 2014)Post Dispatch open house today The Dardanelle Post Dispatch will have an open house from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. today. A ribbon cutting will be conducted at 11:30 a.m. by the Dardanelle Chamber of Commerce. Refreshments will be served, and door prizes will be given away. The office is located at 218 N. Front St. in Dardanelle. REACH book sale The Russellville Education Association of Christian Homeschoolers (REACH) will conduct its annual book s...

Dover takes no action on bypassDOVER — The Dover City Council took no action regarding a proposed partnership with the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department (AHTD) to construct a bypass on State Highway 7 in Dover during its regular meeting Tuesday night. City Attorney Deidre Luker said her understanding of a letter from the AHTD was that if the council decided against partnering with them and assuming maintenance of that section of highway, the state would s...

Lamar man dies after drowning accident CLARKSVILLE — Michael Mee, 35, of Lamar was pronounced dead by Johnson County Coroner Dave Cogan at approximately 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday as the result of an accidental drowning at a pond north of Lamar. According to a release from the Johnson County Sheriff’s Department, authorities received a call at approximately 3:36 p.m. from family members who stated they found Mee in a pond where he had been trimming weeds around the pond bank. Family me...

Local State Trooper promoted to SergeantCorporal Bobby Brown, 44, of Russellville was promoted to the rank of sergeant. Sergeant Brown is an 18-year veteran of the department and has most recently been assigned to the department’s Executive Protection Section. Sergeant Brown will assume post supervisor duties within the Highway Patrol Division, Troop H. Lieutenant Bryan Davis, 47, of Alma has been promoted to the rank of captain and will assume duties as commander of Arkansas State ...

Texas to New York at risk for flooding downpours, disruptions to eventsAccuWeather.com reports a risk of flash flooding will reach from the Gulf Coast to the Tennessee Valley on Friday, while enough downpours farther to the north and east can foil outdoor plans into Saturday. A slow-moving storm producing severe weather over the Plains through Thursday will shift farther east later this week. While the storm will transition away from severe weather, it can still cause some problems. A general 0.50 to 1.00 inch of...

RSD honors New Teacher Academy graduatesThe Russellville School District celebrated the completion of the New Teacher Academy's fourth year during a luncheon Wednesday at The Center for the Arts. Thirty-five teachers celebrated the completion of their first year of teaching. Assistant Superintendent Alene Bynum founded the New Teacher Academy in 2010 to help teachers better adapt to classroom responsibilities throughout their first year. "Being a teacher is hard," Bynum said. "Our t...

Another option for aquatic center?A topic nearly left off Tuesday’s agenda for the Russellville City Council’s Finance Committee garnered more discussion as to the location of a city aquatic center. Alderman Mark Tripp explained that he did not believe the 4.6-acre site on North Phoenix Avenue or the 3-acre Vick Field site on East Parkway Drive were options that should be considered for an aquatic center. Those proposed sites — recommended by the Russellville Recreation and Pa...

Extreme makeover: Dover fields editionDOVER — The Dover City Council approved Scott Van Horn's proposed improvements to the Dover baseball and softball fields during its regular meeting Tuesday at Dover City Hall. Van Horn presented the council with a list of improvements, and told them he secured funding through the private sector. "My estimated cost of all these projects is $300,000, and I have got that covered," he said. The council didn't require much discussion before giving ...

Local's art displayed at Governor's MansionThe Arkansas Governor’s Mansion has been keeping its eye on a local artist. Dardanelle resident Doyle Young will have his watercolor painting, “Keeping a Wary Eye,” on display in the atrium of the governor’s mansion. The painting features Chretien Point, an 1831 plantation mansion in southern Louisiana. “I often tell people that I like to take restored plantation mansions and unrestore them in my paintings,” Young said. “This is exactly what I...

Arts Center summer painting classesThe dates for the River Valley Arts Center summer painting classes have been announced. Oil painting classes begin Tuesday and will be conducted from 6-9 p.m. each Tuesday for the next six weeks. Watercolor classes begin Wednesday and will be conducted each Wednesday from 9 a.m. to noon for the following six weeks. All levels of experience are invited, and a supply list will be provided.

2nd Annual Potts Inn Piddlin DaysThe second annual Potts Inn Piddlin’ Days will be conducted from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Potts Inn. Participants will be able to do hands-on activities such as butter churning, candle making and cotton carding, and tours of the Potts Inn Museum will be available. In addition, the Pope County Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers and Women’s Committees are hosting the Arkansas Farm Bureau Agriculture Education trailers. Activities in...

News Briefs (May 8, 2014)American Legion singing today The American Legion country singing at 6 p.m. today at the American Legion Hut will feature The Arkansas Country Express. Members include Jack George, Pud Maggard, David Bocksnick, Bill Rowlette, Bobby Maggard and Lannie Yates. Post Dispatch open house Friday The Dardanelle Post Dispatch will have an open house from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday. A ribbon cutting will be conducted at 11:30 a.m. by the Dardanelle Cha...

River bottoms history meetingDardanelle and the Dardanelle river bottoms will be the subject of the Pope County Historical Association meeting Friday at the Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center cafeteria in Russellville. Diane Gleason will present the program, which will be about the geography of the area and relationship between the town and the country life. It will concentrate on the 1900 to 1940 period and include communities that no longer exist. Dr. Gleason is from ...

Ray of Hope fundraiser shines for tornado victimsRay of Hope, a local Russellvillian nonprofit food pantry, raised $100 during a pizza sampling fundraiser for those affected by the recent storms in Vilonia and Mayflower. The fundraiser took place at the Russellville Center for the Arts and occurred prior to the commencement of Russellville’s first Balloons Over Russvegas Festival. The event required a $10 donation per person in exchange for pizza samplings and a drink. “It was a great event,...

News Briefs (May 7, 2014)Election commission meeting today The Pope County Election Commission will meet at 2 p.m. today at Election Headquarters, located at 1509 E. Main St., Suite 7 in Russellville. McFadden Cemetery flower removal All flowers should be removed as quickly as possible at the McFadden Cemetery in Dover. FOHB smoked chicken sale The Friends of Holla Bend National Wildlife Refuge will host a hickory smoked chicken sale on Friday at the Dardanelle Walmar...

Dardanelle passes grant resolutionDARDANELLE — The Dardanelle City Council unanimously approved a resolution to apply for the Arkansas Rural Development Grant for the Dardanelle Boys and Girls Club during its regular meeting Monday. "It has to be applied for through the county or city," Mayor Carolyn McGee said after the meeting. "We handle all the finances that go with it, but there's no money out of the city for it." Basically, if the Dardanelle Boys and Girls Club is awarde...

Atkins approves raisesATKINS — The Atkins Board of Education, after some discussion, unanimously approved a 1.25 base increase for all licensed and classified employees during a called meeting Monday. Gracie Sweeden, Classified Personnel Policy Committee (CPPC) president, said more than 75 percent of classified employees voted on a bonus instead of a raise. "We want the bonus because it's the fairest thing," she said. Superintendent Mark Gotcher said he met with th...